This invention relates in general to the recovery of metal, and more particularly to a process and apparatus for recovering metal from soil.
A substantial market exists for scrap lead and one largely unexploited source of such lead is the ranges of gun clubs, particularly the ranges of those clubs which specialize in trap shooting. Over the course of years considerable lead is expended at these clubs, it being in the form of shot discharged from shotgun shells. This shot lies in a band located between 200 and 300 yards from the firing position, and may be buried as deep as 6 inches.
Heretofore, lead shot has been successfully recovered from relatively loose or sandy soils, but only at great expense and considerable difficulty. Moreover, the lead is relatively dirty and must be washed. Efforts to recover lead shot from soils containing a substantial amount of clay or highly compacted top soil have met with little success.